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Manassas Park Elementary School

The design for the Manassas Park Elementary School and Pre-K is based on two fundamental ideas: 1) there is no such thing as a non-teachable place; and 2) people cannot be expected to conserve something they do not understand. With more than 30 years of experience in education design, Charlottesville, Virginia-based architecture firm, VMDO, designed Manassas Park Elementary to incorporate educational opportunities and environmentally responsible components in every aspect of the school. All spaces that would traditionally be hidden or blocked off, such as retention ponds, corridor ceilings, mechanical rooms, are exposed and explained to the children with signage and active conversation.

“Each aspect of the design was carefully considered for the well-being of the children as well as their extended environmental education,” said Wyck Knox at VMDO Architects. “Already the students are taking steps to use their knowledge and naturally assuming the responsibility that is expected of them.”

VMDO selected Johnsonite’s iQ Optima flooring, a high performing solution that helped meet design, maintenance and budget requirements. “When we suggested the iQ Optima tile they were thrilled. It surpassed their environmental goals and was budget friendly,” said Jim DellaFranco, Regional Business Manager with Johnsonite.

The Manassas Park Elementary School and Pre-K was recognized as an American Institute of Architects’ (AIA) 2010 Committee on the Environment (COTE) Award Winner due to its excellence in sustainability and design quality. Projects were evaluated for their architectural quality, green performance and contribution to the community, respectively, and Manassas Park Elementary is one of only ten American-architect-designed buildings in the world selected for this honor. The school, which measures approximately 122,000 square-feet, houses approximately 100,000 square feet of iQ Optima tile.

Certified as LEED Gold by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), the school has also won the Platinum Design Award from the Virginia School Board Association and the national AIA 2010 Educational Facility Design Award of Merit. “Johnsonite has a longstanding commitment to creating products and solutions that contribute to LEED certification points,” said Donna Sisson, Solutions Development Consultant for Johnsonite. “It’s always great to be included on a project that shares our values.”